An in vitro, fluid structure interaction study of a patient-specific dissected aorta

Aortic dissection (AD) is a complex, vascular condition in which a tear forms on the aortic wall, allowing blood to enter and form a false lumen. We have previously demonstrated that combining in vivo, in silico and in vitro haemodynamics approaches can aid disease understanding and provide a powerful tool to personalize interventions for AD. One of the main challenges in modelling AD flows is aortic compliance. Recent numerical studies of AD make use of compliant AD simulations to capture the wall motion; these need to be rigorously validated in order to be translated to the clinic and such validation procedures are currently lacking. We report an in vitro, fluid structure interaction study of AD. A patient specific compliant phantom of a type-B dissected aorta is fabricated and the flow field and wall displacement are simultaneously measured using a mock circulatory loop able to replicate patient-specific flows, high speed imaging and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The results are compared with velocity measurements in the same geometry using a rigid phantom as well as numerical predictions based on a moving boundary method developed within the group.